I have several announcements and exciting things coming soon. I’ll explain an overview of the “In Awe & Wonder” podcast, book club, and YouTube channel all here. I’ll be releasing a new podcast episode that also explains it. Then the next blog post will contain more details about the book club with the schedule of reading and printable memory verse pages and bookmarks.
I have been working on this blog site, including all the static pages, (meaning that if you go to the blog page at http://www.kristen-hamilton.com, you will see a menu bar at the top of the page), you can click on any of those pages to read more about this ministry, what I believe, and who I am. I encourage you to go there, (I am making it easier by putting a link on the word About so you can click it), and particularly read the “About” page. The About page explains a lot of the new stuff coming up.
Hosting a podcast is something that I’ve been wanting to do for two or three years. I bought a cheap microphone and made a few rough test recordings. I played with editing them and even went ahead and released one episode on my own, without really knowing what I was doing. Things were hectic in life at that time, as we were trying to find my husband a new job and relocate from Maine back down to PA or even Ohio to be closer to our families. Things were so up in the air and I was feeling lots of stress, so it didn’t go any further.
Fast forward to just over a year ago, after we had found something for my husband and moved back to PA, I talked to a podcaster friend who was helping to start a community of Christian podcasts. I got excited about the opportunity, went through the process, and joined the Christian Podcast Community, part of Striving for Eternity Ministries.
Around the same time, I took a full-time job as a grammar school aide at a classical Christian school in our area. Even though I was only gone during the same school hours as my kids, it was too much for me in this season of life. I didn’t have time to relax, read, spend time in the kitchen (cooking and baking is one of my favorite things to do), blog, podcast, or do ministry with my church. Life was a cycle of running out the door to work, then later cooking supper, helping kids with homework and running them to after-school activities, and dropping into bed exhausted. I thrive on having a slower pace and some allotted alone time every week so I can re-charge and focus, and be the wife, mom, and “home manager” my family needs (and I love being). I loved the work of an aide and this school very much, so it was a hard decision, but I have chosen to leave that job.
Part of my concern was all the crazy surrounding the COVID pandemic. The private school had a different schedule anyway, than the schools my kids go to. Last year, all three of my kids were in different schools, which was crazy enough. This year, my oldest two are attending a tech high school and my youngest will be in middle school. The tech school is opening with a hybrid schedule, which means the two oldest will only be in school (in-person) two days a week, and working online from home three days a week! The middle school is offering full time in-person instruction, but has plans for closures (with students working online from home) if needed. I feel it is best if I am home with my kids when they’re home to supervise, make sure work is getting done, help with tech issues, and help if they have questions.
So, I’m planning (hoping) to have two days a week at home by myself. In those days, I am planning to do things that need done to run my household, help my husband with bookkeeping for one of his businesses, reading, and blogging, podcasting, and doing a live YouTube show. Basically, I’ll record a podcast episode on Mondays, though not sure if I’ll get it edited and uploaded the same day. Then I’ll be doing a live YouTube (if all goes well with technology) on Tuesdays at 1:00PM EST, beginning September 1st. {Update: I attempted a live stream on YouTube on Sept. 1st, but it failed. I will be recording videos soon and may attempt a live show again in the future.}
Podcast & Book club
You can visit my podcast page with the Christian Podcast Community to listen to the episodes I already have posted. You can subscribe from there to follow the podcast or bookmark that page and go there to download and listen (click this link) ==> In Awe & Wonder Podcast.
From now through the end of 2020, I’m going to do a book club on the podcast. We will be going through and discussing topics from the book, “The Joy of Fearing God,” by Jerry Bridges. (Click the title of the book to be taken to Amazon through an affiliate link if you’d like to purchase it.) You may follow the podcast without the book, as I think the discussion will still be relevant and profitable. There is a study guide in the back of the book, which is useful for deeper study and will be used to guide some discussion.
I want to work on Bible memory verses throughout the book club, as I think it’s beneficial and important to memorize Scripture. Jerry Bridges suggests verses to memorize in the study guide, so those are the ones we’ll be using. I’ve made the schedule so that we will have at least two or more weeks to work on each verse. I’ll be posting a downloadable/printable sheet and bookmark on the blog with each verse as we come to them. They might be helpful in memorization. Also, I have heard that the app at BibleMemory.com is very useful as well.
There is a private Facebook group for women only, where if I have time, we will use for further discussion and questions related to the book, or topics in the book. Click on this link to request to join ==> In Awe & Wonder Facebook Group.
YouTube Live Show
The YouTube live is going to be most Tuesdays (because all my kids should be in school most Tuesdays, Lord willing), at 1:00PM EST, starting September 1st. I wanted to do a live show so that it will be what it is without the need to do video editing. {Update: I attempted a live stream on YouTube on Sept. 1st, but it failed. I will be recording videos soon and may attempt a live show again in the future.}
This may seem surprising or disjointed or out of left field, but the live show is mainly going to be cooking/baking, meal planning, saving money, special diets, food substitutions, etc., along with a time for sitting down with some coffee or tea to chat. My “Tuesday Tea” chats will be short times of reflection on a topic from the podcast, or Psalm, or Proverb, or section of Scripture.
You can head over to YouTube and click to subscribe to the channel so you’re set to get notified when videos start being posted ==> In Awe & Wonder YouTube Channel.
I’ll be doing another post with the reading plan for the book club and the first memory verse printable and bookmark.
If you would like to support this ministry, you can go to the Patreon page ==> In Awe & Wonder Patreon.
Finally, In Awe & Wonder is now on Instagram ==> In Awe & Wonder Instagram.
Let’s talk: What do you think of when you hear the phrase “fear of God”?
Keep reading your Bible!
In Awe & Wonder 